I’m well-aware of which foods are going to make me gain weight. And I try to avoid them. But it’s not that easy. Many of them are processed and ultra-processed – and packed with excess sugar, fat and salt. And we’re all hard-wired to crave them!
A registered dietician has revealed her list of ‘usual suspects’ – the foods most of us consume without suspecting they’re delivering excess calories, salt, fat or sugar…
Weight loss is her game
Tayla Russell bills herself as, “an experienced weight loss coach with a wealth of knowledge for sustainable, lifestyle-oriented practices to achieve long term weight loss.”
As such, she’s seen it all. And along the way, she’s identified the worst offenders in ‘stealth’ fattening foods.
Sneaky diet-busters…
These foods may seem innocuous. But they’re secretly high in either sugar, fat and/or salt. And they can deal your weight loss effort a death blow:
Sugar bombs
Muffins, Granola, Dried Fruit, and even some Salad Dressings contain a large dose of added sugar. Muffins, for instance, contain a lot of sugar, as you’ll know if you’ve ever made your own. Granola is particularly bad. A handful can total up to 500 calories.
Fat buckets
Muffins (again), Peanut Butter, Chips, and Salad Dressing (again) contain a lot of fat, much of which may be saturated (bad) fat. Chips absorb a lot of fat while cooking. Peanut Butter contains a lot of oil – not usually peanut oil (which would be okay, in moderation). Most salad dressings – vinaigrette and creamy – are based on oil.
Salt shakers
Chips, particularly, contain a lot of salt. Peanut butter also gets a significant amount of added salt (unless the label specifically says ‘Low’ or ‘No’ salt.) And don’t get me started about salted nuts…
Calories, in general
All of Russell’s stealth fattening foods are relatively to excessively high-calorie. But Pasta is particularly deceptive. It’s not actually the pasta that will blow you op. It’s what you sauce and top it with. Alcohol is truly insidious. One ounce of 40 percent ABV adds about 150 Calories to any beverage it’s part of. And that’s not counting the sugars that might have been added mixing that cocktail. Even white wine has those stealth calories.
Dine-out food
Like processed and ultra-processed foods, many restaurant menu items – especially Fast Foods – may contain excess sugar and salt and/or fat. The name of that game is to maximize the flavour and mouth feel of a dish at minimum cost.
My take
Anyone who’s in the foodservice biz probably knows about ‘sneaky’ fattening foods. But the average consumer may not.
When I encounter a new food or product, I always check the Ingredients list. Remembering that the first few items mentioned probably make up the greatest part of the product. That’s good advice for any calorie-conscious shopper.
Likewise, the Nutrition Facts chart will clearly state the sugar, fat and salt content of any packaged food.
Bottom line: The stealth fatteners are lurking out there, waiting to pounce. But you’re far from defenseless…
~ Maggie J.